I have recently been hit with a wall of love for Konoha Akinori, Fukurodani’s resident Mr. Jack-of-All-Trades, and wanted to make a post about him. So, I thought I would explore his relationship with his teammates, and how, despite Bokuto and Akaashi being the main pillars of Fukurodani in a narrative sense, it really is Konoha that holds the team together.
Spoilers under the cut!
[FUKURODANI]
Despite Bokuto being the mascot of the team basically, I think it is Konoha that really holds the team afloat, especially during Bokuto’s random mood swings. He is one of the most reliable and talented receivers in the series, starting on the back line during serve receives and proving his salt with very limited mistakes considering just how unpredictable a game volleyball can be. He has remarkable control over the ball, able to score off a receive during the Nekoma match by sending it to the back corner of the court. Not only that, but he is able to set as well, meaning even if Akaashi is targeted, he is able to step up and reliably set in his stead. While his spikes aren’t remarkable (and with a power stat of two, that’s not that surprising lol) he is able to perform rebounds, pulling one off on Kuroo of all people.
Outside of just that, Konoha is able to work with all of his teammates rather effectively. His team effort with Washio is punctuated with him mocking Nekoma for not having a monopoly on working together, he sets the ball to Sarukui and Bokuto interchangeably, and his teammates more often then not call out to him to recover a wonky receive. When Anahori panics during the Mujinazaka match, Konoha quickly steps in and scores a point with Sarukui.
So, while Konoha is fine with Bokuto stealing the glory when it comes down to the final hour, Konoha is not without his own merits. He is, without a doubt, the linchpin of Fukurodani, holding the team together when things go awry. And when you’re on a national caliber team, being reliable is bound to get you overlooked.
[AKAASHI KEIJI]
Akaashi and Konoha have a fairly typical senpai-kouhai relationship, with Konoha at least attempting to protect his junior from Bokuto’s antics several times throughout the series. Akaashi not only expects but seems to demand Konoha’s best performance as well during games, even when he himself was struggling, proving that even though he is the younger one, he wasn’t just handed the vice captain position for nothing!
- During the Mujinazaka match, Akaashi struggles throughout the entire first set at the hands of Usuri. He costs them the first point of the match, makes a few failed sets, and his setter dump is very effectively shut out. He is pulled out of the match to cool down, but the moment he comes back and sees Konoha slipping he is quick to jump on him. And not in a patronizing way either. He just knows Konoha can give him the receives he needs to score. He asks Konoha for a specific receive during the Nekoma match, so it’s clear they both know and understand the high degree of control Konoha has over the ball.
- Akaashi calls out to Konoha specifically when he is forced to receive a few times over. Konoha is able to use that to his advantage, going up like he’s going to spike before switching to a set at the last minute. While other players also set up a ball to spike, Konoha is the only one who does a proper overhand. Though it can only be implied, I’m sure the two practice their sets together often, sharing tips with each other in order to improve their game. After all, there’s nobody Bokuto would rather get a set from than Akaashi, so who better to learn from?
- When Akaashi gets pulled out of the game, Bokuto is quick to offer words of encouragement. And while Akaashi understands and takes them as such, Konoha hears otherwise. He is quick to defend Akaashi, visibly angered by Bokuto until he explains himself (and Konoha mentally admits that even Bokuto can say worthwhile things sometimes afterward). It’s very clear Konoha cares deeply for his junior and wants the best for him and I think his moments with Akaashi show just how mature he can be when he wants to be. And he gets excited when Akaashi calls him a reliable senpai, asking him to say it again! So maybe he just wants to be called senpai lol.
[BOKUTO KOUTAROU]
Konoha, much like everyone on Fukurodani, is not always the most impressed by Bokuto. He knows his mood swings oh so well and is just so over the dramatics. Or, so he likes to pretend. At every turn, he’s one of the first to pull Bokuto out of his ruts, cheering him up with just the slightest nod from Akaashi. Konoha very obviously thinks highly of Bokuto’s skills, he just also loves being able to knock him down a peg or two if given the opportunity.
- Konoha’s current concern is that if you look at Bokuto’s “stupidity” from a different angle, he’s actually a genius. And what a summation of Konoha’s relationship with his ace that is. Bokuto goes at everything with no prior thought in mind, just the belief that his team will back him up. And they do, they’re always behind Bokuto even when he messes up. And even though Konoha is frustrated with Bokuto, he also knows that he’ll pull himself up and bring them to victory.
-During the Mujinazaka match, Bokuto makes the claim that he wants to be a regular ace. He no longer wants to be coddled, he wants to make full use of his abilities and lead his team to victory. And as much as everyone hoped and dreamed that he would bring Fukurodani all the way, they lost in the finals. On a set from Konoha no less. And where Akaashi is at a loss for what to say, unsure how to ease the burden Bokuto has placed on himself for not living up to his expectations, Konoha steps up. Despite all the trouble Bokuto gives everyone, despite Bokuto almost injuring himself the night before finals, Konoha considers himself lucky to have been on a team with Bokuto, because he wouldn’t have been able to see the view from center court otherwise. And he tells Bokuto that he’ll be watching him in the future, that he looks forward to seeing the regular ace lead his next team to victory.
[SARUKUI YAMATO]
Of all the members, especially the “extras” (i.e. not Bokuto or Akaashi lol), Konoha seems the closest to Sarukui. They stand next to each other on the court so they have tons of interactions that way but they choose to hang out together during practice/breaks as well!
- Saru is the only player aside from Bokuto that Konoha sets to. And not only that, but he loves setting to Sarukui. I mean, he gets to ignore Bokuto when he’s in a poor mood and he gets to tool all the blockers as well? A quick switch from a spike to a set already gives him an opportunity to trick them, but he’s fully willing to use Bokuto’s mere presence as a decoy! My favorite Konoha moment will probably always be “Nah dun wanna” but the Eiwa match when Konoha sets to Saru is a close second.
- Konoha thinks Sarukui is hilarious. Outside of games, he’ll laugh at just about anything the other boy says. Whether it’s Saru pretending to be a really edgy rival character or taking low-key shots at Akaashi, he thinks Saru is a comedic genius. It’s really endearing and shows just how much Konoha enjoys being part of Fukurodani when he is often presenting as very anti-Bokuto (which I’ve already said is a giant ruse lol, he loves Bokuto as much as the rest of ‘em). He also still hangs out with Sarukui (and Komi) after the timeskip! They’re all watching the Jackals v. Adlers game together!
- Every time Bokuto does something dumb/silly/crazy, Konoha and Sarukui react in unison. And not just in unison, but they share their thoughts. They are so fun to watch together and I love just about everything they say/do
And this is more of a personal headcanon, but given Konoha’s skills especially when it comes to being a substitute setter, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that he used to be one, even if it was just in junior high. It would explain the reaction he has when Bokuto asks Akaashi to help him with spikes as well as his aversion to take Akaashi’s place even though he wants to help his poor kouhai. He doesn’t wanna get suckered into endless spike practice again like his first year! I also just love the idea of Sarukui and Konoha as a setter/spiker duo and I think that dynamic, particularly in Haikyuu!!, is super fun to explore.
